


Like Yesterday

by TheIntelligentHufflepuff



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aromantic Steve Rogers, Fluff, Gen, Getting Back Together, Humor, In a way, Light Angst, M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships, Temporary Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 22:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIntelligentHufflepuff/pseuds/TheIntelligentHufflepuff
Summary: Steve had been to Carter’s Coffee House, a stubbornly homey place on the fringes of sleek Manhattan, exactly two times before: first, when he and Bucky met; second, when they broke up. That would be fine enough, if they hadn’t broken up immediately after Bucky asked Steve to marry him.ORSteve is aromantic. Bucky is not. It's all okay in the end.





	Like Yesterday

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I'm not aromantic so far as I know so it's entirely possible the depiction of aromanticism in this fic is totally wrong, though I've tried to make it at least somewhat accurate to some experiences. 
> 
> Disclaimer 2: I haven't read this over yet so soz for any mistakes 
> 
> General comment: I have no clue whether to tag QPR as / or & so I just did both, in case you were wondering why. Also this fic was originally gonna include aliens but I decided against it.

Steve had been to Carter’s Coffee House, a stubbornly homey place on the fringes of sleek Manhattan, exactly two times before: first, when he and Bucky met; second, when they broke up. That would be fine enough, if they hadn’t broken up immediately after Bucky asked Steve to marry him. 

* * *

“Sorry I’m late.” Bucky puffed, sitting down heavily. Steve knew he’d probably rushed there from work, but that didn’t necessarily account for the red glow on his cheeks. Maybe he was stressed. 

 

“No problem,” Steve smiled, gesturing at the two coffees on the table “It’s not like I didn’t know what to get you.” 

 

“Thanks.” Bucky nodded, taking a sip of his latte. He sighed, relaxing back into his chair. 

 

Steve let their comfortable silence rest for a bit, focussed on his mocha, until a few minutes had passed “So, feeling nostalgic, or…?” 

 

“What?” 

 

“We don’t come here often, that’s all.” 

 

“No, we don’t.” Bucky agreed, sitting up straighter “It’s just that I was thinking...well…” 

 

He trailed off, feeling about in his jacket pockets with a small pucker between his brows. Unaware of the bombshell that was about to be dropped on him, Steve canted his head to the side to observe his friend-  _ boy _ friend’s- collar bones peeking out from his loosened shirt. 

 

“Will you marry me?” Bucky asked, plonking an open ring box down on the table and freezing the universe for a few seconds in one fell swoop. 

 

Steve’s heart sank. His jaw slackened. He was unpleasantly shocked, embarrassed, put on the spot and not at all ready to either agree or answer the question.  _ Act pleased,  _ he told himself frantically,  _ say you’ll think about it.  _

 

Except his mouth didn’t wait for his brain’s instructions, and as a result his mouth formed what could reliably be considered the worst combination of words they had ever formed in any situation: “Ew, no!” 

 

Gasping, Steve clamped a hand over his mouth as if it could delete the words. It was no use; the damage had been done. Tears brimming in his eyes, Bucky snapped the ring case shut and stormed off, cafe door slamming shut behind him. By the time Steve had disentangled himself from the table to follow, Bucky was long gone. Shaking, he turned back to the cafe only to be met with a dozen  _ extremely  _ judgemental glares. 

 

“Like any of you would’a one better.” he grumbled, shrugging on his jacket. He slipped out into the spring chill before anyone broke their stunned silence. 

 

He needed to call Sam. 

 

* * *

 

“So you’re telling me,” Sam coughed, half in hysterics and half whole-heartedly pissed “That you broke Barnes’ heart because you were caught off guard?” 

 

“Oh, fuck,” Steve groaned, burying deeper into his blanket burrito and suddenly very glad he and Bucky never moved in together “I probably did, didn’t I?” 

 

“Well, judging by what I heard of Nat’s call with him in the other room…” 

 

“Fuck.” Steve swore again “I should’ve just…” 

 

“Hey,” Sam interrupted him gently “You were totally right to say no if you wanted to. You just could’ve been nicer about it.” 

 

“I said  _ ew,  _ Sam.  _ Ew. _ ” 

 

“That doesn’t really matter now, though, right? Just,” Steve could hear the sounds of Sam settling down on the exceptionally creaky sofa he kept in his guest room for some reason “Work out how you’re going to deal with it. Where is your mind at, man?” 

 

Ah, the fatal question. Steve delayed his answer with a mouthful of ice cream. He didn’t really even feel the need to eat it, it was just what films told him he should do when he cocked up romantically. 

 

“I don’t know.” he eventually responded, not wanting Sam to think he’d stormed off “I just...don’t know.” 

 

“That’s okay.” Steve could imagine Sam shrugging “Even when you’re in love with them, people can do things that you don’t expect.” 

 

_ In love.  _ Steve’s stomach knotted. 

 

“...yeah.” 

 

“Steve.” Sam’s voice dropped, wary “Steve, you  _ are  _ in love with him, right? Or, you were?” 

 

“Eh…” 

 

“Oh my God.” Sam muttered. Steve was pretty sure he wasn’t meant to hear it. 

 

“It’s not that I hate him!” Steve protested “It’s not even like I’m indifferent or anything, I do love him, I just…” 

 

“You just what?” Sam prodded gently. 

 

“I don’t know  _ how _ I love him.” 

 

“Right.” Sam sighed “I’m not saying you have to, but if that’s the way you feel-” 

 

“We should take a break.” Steve finished. 

 

“Or break up.” 

 

“That too.” 

 

Sam, the angel that he was, just offered to come over after. Steve agreed, hung up, and got to the business of breaking up with the man he loved so much he couldn’t imagine life without. 

* * *

Two months passed. Two months during which, intentionally or not, Steve and Bucky quit each other cold turkey. It was hard and Steve missed him, he wouldn’t lie; but he couldn’t help but feel that it should’ve been harder. Or at least, hard in a different way: shouldn’t he be yearning for Bucky’s touch? Feel bitter resentment when he saw couples walking past hand-in-hand? Shouldn’t thoughts of Bucky occupy his every waking moment? Did he not really love Bucky as much as he thought he did, or were his perceptions of romance off? 

 

All of these questions led to googling, quizzing his friends, lurking on social media. At one point, the answers written in pixels on his screen had Steve half convinced he’d secretly hated Bucky for the past year and just hadn’t realised it. 

 

That was, until he struck gold. 

 

Heedless of the fact that it was two in the morning, Steve excitedly picked up his phone and texted Sam:  _ I know who I am!  _

 

Then, the tiniest ball of tension in his stomach, Steve texted Bucky for the first time since they broke up:  _ Do you want to meet up to talk?  _

The next morning, he received his answer:  _ yes.  _

 

* * *

 

Now, Steve sat at the same table in the middle of Carter’s Coffee House as before, nervously sipping on a frape as he waited for Bucky to arrive. When he did, he didn’t sit down immediately, standing for a few moments with his hands folded over the back of the chair, eyes fixed intently on Steve. In turn, Steve noted that Bucky had started growing out his hair. 

 

“Hey.” 

 

“Hey.” Bucky replied, finally sitting down. His shoulders were drawn up tight and he was fidgeting, but he looked faintly hopeful. Steve in turn hoped he didn't crush him again. 

 

“How have you been?” Steve asked. 

 

Bucky gave him a look. 

 

“Okay.” Steve exhaled, placing his hands flat on the table “Let's get into it. I'm bad at romance, case in point.” 

 

Bucky nodded. 

 

“And I thought it was just that. But I found out recently, I'm not just bad at romance, I'm-” 

 

He choked, glancing around in embarrassment. His revelation had seemed so solid when he read it on a screen, but now- in public, observed by more than a few interested patrons- it didn't. 

 

“Go on.” Bucky encouraged him, even as he looked as if he never wanted to hear what Steve had to say “You can say what you need to me, that hasn't changed.”  

 

“I'm aromantic.” Steve declared, almost challenging Bucky with his tone “I don't feel romantic attraction.” 

 

Instead of scoffing as Steve had feared, Bucky merely blinked. 

 

“But we dated.” he said. 

 

Steve shrugged sheepishly “It was a recent discovery.” 

 

“Ah.” realisation dawned “When I asked you to...” 

 

“Yeah.” Steve confirmed “I'd maybe realised what I felt wasn't one-hundred percent normal before that, but I only really went searching after we broke up.” 

 

“You never told me.” Bucky pointed out, not quite accusatory but getting there. 

 

“I didn't wanna rock the boat.” 

 

“Must be the only boat you've ever not wanted to rock.” Bucky joked, then added more seriously “You really hurt me.” 

 

Steve winced “I know. And I am  _ so  _ unbelievably sorry for that. If I'd even suspected I wouldn't love you the right way, I would never have dated you.” 

 

“Hey.” Bucky reached across the table to quickly squeeze Steve's shoulder “There’s no right or wrong way to love someone, and you know that.” he cast his eyes down, continuing “And I don't regret dating you even if it wouldn't work out.” 

 

Heart both warmed and frozen, Steve asked cautiously “Wouldn't it?” 

 

Bucky looked up sharply, but Steve refused to retract his words. He ploughed on. 

 

“Do you...do you still love me?” 

 

“Yes.” Bucky quietly replied. 

 

“Then would you be willing to, I don't know, hold off dating other people? For as long as you still do? Because…” Steve picked up his napkin, finding his words “I don't want to date you, but I still love you a lot, and I don't want us to not be together anymore.” 

 

“You want to do something like dating,” Bucky clarified “But not romantically.” 

 

Steve nodded. 

 

“Isn't that just being friends?” Bucky asked. 

 

“Not...really? Like, I don't know,” Steve shrugged “I feel like I want something with more commitment. Like…” 

 

“A queerplatonic partner!” someone burst in. Steve turned to the table next to them to see a young person with a pride society sticker on their laptop, blushing furiously.

 

“Sorry!” they squeaked “I don't usually eavesdrop, but you were struggling there, and I'm aro so…” 

 

“That's okay.” Bucky smiled, getting there before Steve “It was useful.” 

 

The student blushed again, and with a mumbled “No problem.” turned back to their work. 

 

“So,” Steve said, starting to smile himself “Does that sound okay?” 

 

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded, eyes shining “Yeah. Where are you on kisses, ‘cos…” 

 

In reply, Steve got up and packed him on the cheek. 

 

“Next question, partner,” he half-joked, offering Bucky his hand “Is when do you wanna move in?” 

 

“To your place?” Bucky batted back, stroking his thumb over Steve's knuckles “Never.” 


End file.
